An electronic device controlled by a user may include at least one display device, and the user may control the electronic device through an input device while watching various operating states of the electronic device or operations of applications on the display device. In particular, a mobile terminal manufactured for convenient portability, such as a cellular phone, may have, due to its limited size, an input device (e.g., a touch screen) with which the user may make an input on the touch screen, instead of having a four-way button used for manipulating the up, down, left and right movements, thereby providing user interfaces.
For example, a mobile terminal may move list items using a screen scroll in a list view state in which the mobile terminal displays a plurality of related items such as received/sent Short Message Service (SMS) message items and address book items, in the form of multiple bars, multiple boxes, or multiple icons. When user interfaces are provided on a touch screen, a user may move the list items to a desired point by making a drag (i.e., an operation or gesture in which, while touching one point of the touch screen with a finger or a stylus pen, the user moves the finger or stylus pen to another point and releases the touch after stopping the movement) or a flick (i.e., an operation or gesture in which, after touching one point of the touch screen with a finger or a stylus pen, the user releases the touch while quickly moving the finger or stylus pen in any direction). Upon receiving a drag input, the mobile terminal may perform a screen scroll operation in a list view state depending on the direction and moving state corresponding to the drag input. Upon receiving a flick input, the mobile terminal may quickly perform screen scroll at a speed and in a direction corresponding to the flick input, gradually reduce the speed of screen scroll, and then stop the screen scroll.
In this case, however, if there are a large number of list items, the user needs to continuously perform the drag or flick operation several times to reach a desired list item, which is an inconvenience for the user. If the user wants to slowly check list items, the user needs to touch one point of the touch screen with a finger, and then, slowly move the finger at a speed corresponding thereto. Particularly, in the case of a device with a small display, such as a mobile terminal, the screen may be often covered or blocked with the finger since the touch screen needs to be used as both a touch input unit and a display unit.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.